24 (2 in ONE) Cultivation!

Shen Long had two options right now: to either apologize immediately or he could try to bullshit his way through. But after remembering how overpowered his Master is, chances are that Shen Long would be exposed if he decided to lie. Shen Long really didn't have a choice, but to kneel down and kowtow to his Master.

"Master! Disciple Shen Long apologizes for my carelessness! My fervid passion towards cultivation had caused me to forget about our meeting. I was too desperate to improve, to become stronger, and hence I rushed here straight after reaching Mid-Saint Realm. However, I know there are still no excuses for me to forget. Please punish me as you will, Master!" Shen Long apologized, while sugarcoating the truth, killing two birds with one stone.

"Now that I've admitted to my mistakes and gave an unpunishable excuse... There's no way that Master would punish me for being too focused onto cultivation, to improve. Plus, Master said he would treat me like his son... Surely, he shouldn't punish me... or at most, he would only give me a light punishment." Shen Long inwardly thought as he was impressed at his own wit.

Shen Long was right. Daoist Fireblade never planned to punish Shen Long as he desperately wanted to return home, and he needed Shen Long's help. The meeting, to begin with, was scheduled for Fireblade to check up on Shen Long, to see his progress. As for why Daoist Fireblade was slightly mad, it was because he wanted to give Shen Long a weapon secretly as he wished to avoid rumours and gossips from other disciples.

"Fine. Since you have apologized immediately, I will forgive you this time. Follow me! Guardian, please keep the [Yin-yang Twinswords] in the treasury and don't let anyone take it out! I think that will be the most suitable for Shen Long in the future. I will temporarily give him a Mid-Earth sword for him to use, for him to learn the basics." Daoist Fireblade said as he started heading back to his palace.

The Guardian was flabbergasted by what Daoist Fireblade said. He had been the guardian of the treasury for almost 1,500 years now, and yet never had he heard Fireblade to instruct him to save a disciple a weapon. Despite he didn't really like Shen Long, he had no choice but to follow what Fireblade said. After all, it was Fireblade's palace and he had absolute control of anything within it.

"Just who is this Shen Long!? Even Fireblade's Fourth Disciple, Daoist Bluestone, did not receive such treatment when he was cultivating here. His talents were known across the entire realm as he reached Demigod Realm at the stage of 15. This Shen Long - merely a Mid-Saint at the age of 16 - is no way comparable. His achievements could easily be replicated by any Challengers in the palace... Yet Fireblade treats him this well!? Heaven... This is not fair..." The Guardian thought as they teleported away.

"So, Shen Long... Do you have any questions regarding on your cultivation? If there's anything you want, just tell me and I'll try my best to accomplish it for you. Your advancement in terms of Qi and your insights towards the Dao improved quite a lot in the past month. At this rate, you could probably reach Demigod level within 3 years!" Daoist Fireblade's eyes lit up as his dream of returning drew closer.

"In terms of cultivation... I'm moreorless okay. The manual is quite easy to comprehend, and its explanations are really detailed anyway. I am used to reading because I always read light... Never mind. Em.. However, I am kind of stuck as I don't know whether I should embark on the Dao of Balance or I should just stick with a normal Dao. Being completely honest with you, I do wish to become a supreme figure in the future, but I don't want to slow down my cultivation speed, otherwise I may not become a Celestial Immortal in the next two hundred years.." Shen Long honestly asked as he trusted his Master.

"I am really grateful that you took my words into consideration. As your Master, I, of course, should put your future as the main priority. With your talents and affinity towards the Daos, I am sure you'll be able to grasp a Heavenly Dao, ascending to an Emperor immediately after comprehending it. However, I am still a human, and it's only natural that I am selfish. For my own benefits, of course, it would be the safest for you to just train in one Dao, and become a Celestial Immortal, then bind Earth - so that I can return home." Daoist Fireblade said as a warm smile appeared on his face as he continued to speak.

"After hearing what you've said to me, there's no way I can be this selfish. If you are willing to sacrifice your own future for my sake, how can I be here, standing here, ordering you to give up an opportunity to become one of the top experts in the universe? As I've said, I treat you as my son. Even if I can't go back home... At least I have somewhat repaid Earth as I at least produced a genius, a monstrous figure in the cultivation world. And... maybe one day, when you can ascend to Godhood... Haha. If... One day..." Tears started flowing out his eyes as he spoke.

Shen Long wasn't sure what to do. Seeing his Master's tears dropping, he couldn't bear with seeing him cry. He had the power in his own hands to stop that, and there was no way he could let that slip. Ultimately, it was his Master that brought him here. If one can't even repay kindness and protect one's family and friends, what was the point of cultivation?

"Master. I have decided to just embark on the Dao of Fire. You're the one who introduced me to the Cultivation World, and I have treated you as my family long ago. I believe everything is fated. If I am truly fated to walk down the path of the Dao of Balance, then I will. Plus, I can still become an Emperor later - as long as I comprehend two Daos. Don't worry, Master. I will try my best, to fulfil your dream!" Shen Long felt emotional after hearing his words, though he spoke with confidence.

"Shen Long. You truly are a good disciple. A good son! I am immensely guilty, but you're right. If you truly are fated, then you will grasp a Heavenly Dao regardless. Train in the Dao of Fire for now. Regardless of your path in the future, it would still help towards your insights in the Dao of Balance. Ultimately, an exact balance would require every element, working in harmony. I will personally be your swordsman teacher, and I will get Emperor Tideflow to help you with your sword art [Melodies of Nine Sole Swords]." Daoist Fireblade said, filled with gratitude and shame.

"Thank you, Master. I also have a few questions regarding on the cultivation here, as well as how items such as weapons and artefacts are graded here. I heard from the Guardian earlier that the [Yin-yang Twinswords] are a peak-Earth treasure. I don't really know anything about items here, so please teach me!" Shen Long asked as he smiled after hearing his Master's arrangements.

"No problem, Shen Long. I thought Qingyu would have already told you that, but I guess she hadn't, which is completely fine. So, there are mainly three types of treasures - Mortal, Earth and Stellar - in our universe. Of course, the weapon rankings would be different after you breakthrough to the Godhood, but I really don't know anything about it. It's also a rumour that Godhood exists, as recorded in the history." Daoist Fireblade explained.

"Mortal tier items are usually for cultivators in Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishments and Saints. "Mortal" represents that it's made for human - just ordinary mortals. These items are worthless for me though ordinary disciples in those big sects would kill to obtain one. In theory, you should only be using these items, but since you're my personal disciple, you, of course, won't. These items don't have a spirit, hence they couldn't bring out the full prowess of a cultivator.

"Earth treasures are much rarer, in comparison. Just like cultivation, there will of course be variations in terms of its prowess despite being in the same tier. "Peak-Earth" just means that it's one of the best treasures that belongs to Earth-tier. "Earth" represents the ground - not our planet, Earth - and these items are all one with the nature. They all have spirit, and some are capable of evolving along the user. Typically, only Demigods and Celestial Immortals would use it."

"Lastly, Stellar treasures are extremely rare within our universe. For example, my [Fireruin Sword] is only a Mid-Stellar treasure, yet its worth is thousands times of this palace. This is because all stellar treasures have the ability to bind to the user. The spirit of the weapon would be able to communicate to the wielder, and it could work in perfect harmony with the cultivator. It is only for Emperors, as most Celestial Immortals would not be able to afford one, with me being the only exception in Zanghu universe."

"The cultivation world is more complicated than you think, Shen Long. Although there are some "rules", they are hugely flexible. You would be able to wield a Peak-Earth weapon, despite only being a Saint. What I have said above are just general things, and there will be exceptions, so bear in mind that. To start off with your cultivation, I will give you a Mid-Earth rank sword, to develop your fundamentals. Once you are fully comfortable with a sword, you could switch to the [Yin-yang Twinswords], a Peak-Earth treasure that many would envy. Even celestial immortals may not have a Peak-Earth treasure, so you need to be careful when you use it." Daoist Fireblade warned, as he continued to speak.

"Towards your other question about cultivation, not counting Godhood, there are 6 main cultivation levels, with smaller realms in each (Early, Mid, Late, and Peak sometimes). Any cultivator who established a strand of Qi would be in Qi Condensation; a cultivator who had fully condensed their Qi into a pool would be in Foundation Establishment. It is then followed by Saint, whose Qi starts to materialise; Demigod with distinguishable Qi, unique to the cultivator as it had fully fused with the cultivator; Celestial Immortals who had completely comprehended one whole normal Dao; Emperor with two, or one Heavenly Dao."

"It is a little confusing at first, but you will understand more as you advance. There are quite a lot of Demigods in the Zanghu universe, yet so little Celestial Immortals here, the reason being that one requires actual insight towards the Daos. So theoretically, one could cultivate to Peak-Demigod level with just cultivating their Qi, having zero insight into any of the Daos. Those people, however, are extremely pitiful - as they would be stuck in that stage for the rest of their lives."

"Those people, rely on physical strength, and nothing else. We rely on the power of the Dao, knowledge and understanding, as well as our strength to fight. We, of course, have the advantages here. The best way to ascend in cultivation levels are always by the Daos, though it may take an extremely long time. You, luckily, are quite intelligent and talented; so advancing in cultivation through this route would be quite suitable for you."

"This, however, doesn't mean that you can forget about cultivating your Qi, secret art and spiritual techniques. The Daos could only act as aid and supplement; it would empower your attacks and defense, but it cannot replace your actual combat techniques. Spiritual and soul energy works in the same way. One's Qi is still the foundation of us as human cultivators. Everything works around it, and hence I have told you to cultivate the Moonlight Script immediately after you arrived." Master Daoist finally stopped speaking as he looked at Shen Long in the eyes.

"Thanks for explaining the cultivation system to me clearly. There is so much information to digest... But I guess I don't have to worry about those for now right? My main focus, at this moment, is to cultivate to Demigod Realm as we need to take cultivation step-by-step. I, however, still don't understand about the Spiritual Energy bit. The Guardian in the library gave me a manual of one, yet I have no idea what spiritual energy even is... Soul energy, on the other hand, I somewhat understand. It's just about the strength of your soul, consciousness and the mental side of the body." Shen Long continued to ask.

"Yes, you're completely right about the Soul Energy part, and you don't need to worry about those until you reach Celestial Immortal. Most cultivators won't have any techniques that attacks your soul, so you'd be fine without one right now. I will explain it when you need to know. For spiritual energy, this is quite confusing. Spiritual Energy is kind of like your Qi, but not really...

"Spiritual energy casts magic and spell-related things. Most cultivators don't cultivate in both Qi and Spirit as most don't have the resources to do so. Spiritual Energy also requires one to accumulate them, but it cannot be absorbed through cultivating manuals. It's a natural process as spiritual energy would naturally flow into our body. It's merely a bonus for you - as your main focus is on Qi."

"Whether you ask, why you are cultivating Spiritual Energy? It's because you are a personal disciple of mine. Normally, a Qi cultivator's spiritual energy improves at an extremely slow pace, as we are human cultivators. For other races in the Universe, it would, of course, be a different story. However, I offer every personal disciple some spiritual pills, which allows one to absorb more spiritual energy from the universe. You had already eaten a few before, as they are given out every month." Daoist Fireblade explained in details.

"It's kind of like your Qi, but not really... What kind of shit explanation is that? YO, what does the colour "BLUE" looks like? It's kind of like green, but not really... Very helpful, Master... So more or less, spiritual energy is just like mana right!?? Ah. I get it." Shen Long almost rolled his eyes as Daoist Fireblade said that.

(PS: how would you describe the colour BLUE to a blind person? If you're bored enough - comment below and I'm kind of curious!)

"Ahhh. I see, Master. So I shouldn't worry too much about my spiritual technique manual [Starfall Strike] too much neither? I will work hard to cultivate my Qi as well as sword art. Wait. There are other races in the universe!?? So aliens do exist... Holy moly!" Shen Long said in an astonished tone.

"Aliens?" Daoist Fireblade seemed a little confused. Fireblade, of course, would not know the term "alien" as he left Earth thousands of years ago. Science at the time were not developed at all, and hence there was no way that Fireblade would understand that word.

"Let's start off with some basics of sword art today! We shouldn't delay your cultivation. Let's head to the training ground in my royal palace. I will train you everyday at four o'clock here!" Daoist Fireblade said as he led the way to his private training ground.